Dutch Oven No Knead Bread

This Dutch Oven No Knead Bread is super simple. There are only 5 ingredients and they come together quickly. However, you need to do some planning with this recipe. There is a 12-18 hour rise and another 2 hour rise. This recipe is based on the technique pioneered by Richard Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery in Manhattan. If you are pressed for time, you can shorten the first rise. The long rise time develops the flavor of the bread, so, you will be sacrificing flavor for time. Choose wisely.

I used a 6 quart Lodge Dutch Oven for this project. I also used a floured piece of Parchment paper rather than flouring a tea towel (I have a mental resistance to using a tea towel for some inexplicable reason). It worked out fine but the exposed parchment paper gets crispy during baking; be careful when using to lift the bread out of the oven.

This is a recipe of patience. Don’t rush this recipe and you will be rewarded with a rustic, artisan-style loaf of home baked bread.

Ingredients

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together bread flour, rye flour, salt and dry yeast.

Add water and stir with a wooden spoon. The dough should come together as a shaggy, sticky dough.

Cover and let rise for 12 to 18 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

I used parchment paper for this step rather than a tea towel. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured piece of parchment. Use a rubber spatula or bench scraper since the dough will be sticky.

Using lightly floured hands, fold the dough over, pivot the parchment paper 180° and repeat three or four times.

Turn the entire dough ball over, seam side down, and cover with plastic wrap. place on a wooden cutting board rather than leaving on a cool surface. Let rise for 2 hours.

30 minutes before the end of the second rise, move the top rack of the oven to the lower 3rd of the oven to make room for the Dutch Oven. Fire up the oven to 475° and place the Dutch Oven on the rack to preheat.

At the end of the second rise, remove the plastic wrap from the dough, remove the Dutch Oven from the oven, remove the lid. Exercise caution during this step since the oven will be extremely hot.

Using the parchment as a caddy, place the dough and parchment in the oven, replace the lid to the Dutch Oven and place it back in the oven.

Bake covered for 30 minutes then remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 to 30 minutes until the bread is a beautiful golden brown. (An internal thermometer, inserted in the center of the bread should register 200°.)

***Nutritional NOTE:

Nutritional information should not be relied upon to make dietary decisions. It is provided for informational purposes only; your results could vary significantly from what is listed here.***

Helpful Hints:

Mix well but don’t over-mix. All ingredients should be stirred until they are all incorporated

Don’t overwork the dough. The less you handle the dough, so much the better.

It is helpful to use parchment paper to transfer the dough to the pot.

Be careful when working with the pot and oven. 475° is very hot. Exercise care when handling the Dutch Oven as it comes out of the oven to remove the lid.

Let the bread cool completely. The flavor develops further as the bread cools. Don’t give in to temptation to devour the loaf while still warm.